Côte Rôtie Maestria, Vignobles Levet 2020

Saturated magenta. A wild, highly expressive bouquet evokes an array of black and blue fruits, pungent flowers, smoked meat, licorice and exotic spices, with a bright mineral overtone. Offers palate-coating, deeply concentrated cassis, cherry liqueur, smoky bacon, fruitcake and licorice flavors that turn livelier as the wine stretches out. The mineral and spice notes build steadily through a strikingly long finish that's framed by strong but velvety tannins that are quickly absorbed by the wine's dense, dark fruit.

Again a prospective sample blended from several barrels, the 2020 Cote Rotie Les Journaries (labeled Maestria outside the United States) is a blend of fruit from La Landonne and Côte Brune. It's full-bodied, rich and tannic, even chewy, with plenty of concentration, yet it's also fresh and fruit-driven, with vibrant notes of purple raspberries and exotic spices. This should be terrific; it just needs a good 5+ years.